FORGET Manual Mode, THIS is how PROS shoot!

Discover the BEST camera modes & WHEN to use them!

In this video, we’ll dive into the world of camera modes and unravel their mysteries. And NO, manual mode is NOT the only mode worth mastering! Whether you're a beginner or experienced photographer, understanding camera priority modes is essential. We’ll explore everything from auto mode, aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, program mode and manual mode.

We'll compare manual mode vs aperture priority, manual mode vs auto mode, manual mode vs shutter priority, highlighting the unique advantages each camera mode offers.

Whether you're seeking beginner photography tips or just looking how to use camera priority modes, this video has got you covered. Choosing the right camera mode or the best camera mode for beginners can be daunting at first, but it’s actually quite easy to figure out once you understand a few basics.

So FORGET manual mode, THIS is how pros shoot!

📸 MY GEAR ↓↓↓

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0:00 - Intro
0:26 - Manual Mode vs. Manual Focus
1:19 - Different Camera Modes
2:05 - Auto Mode
3:09 - Program Mode
5:16 - Aperture Priority Mode
6:55 - Shutter Priority Mode
9:54 - Manual Mode
10:30 - Conclusion

[SightseeingStan]

💡What other topics would you like to see in the next videos? 👇

[ebinrock]

Auto Mode: the setting to choose when you're handing your camera to a family member.

[BRollBenny]

I'm a professional photographer IE I support my family with my work. 90% of the time I shoot aperture priority with auto ISO with a minimum shutter of 250 (1000 for sports and action). The only time I use manual mode shooting is when I'm using flash or strobes.

[imecppe]

I ditched manual a long time ago, now I am shooting in aperature priority, with minimum shutter speed set depending on the situation, and auto ISO, the only thing I touch during shooting is the exposure compensation dial.. this way I still have all the control I need, but I gain it a lot quicker!

[stanobert]

I shoot 90% of my photos in aperture priority, both for still subjects and for action.

[rmclark]

For wildlife I've been using Manual with Auto ISO and that's worked great for me.

[ghw]

Old school here. I began shooting in the 60s when knowing what you were doing was a valuable asset. Until the Nikon F3, I had never shot a 35mm camera on anything but manual. I do not use program mode and would not dream of letting the camera pick the ASA/ISO for me. Even with my digital cameras, they will be set on manual or aperture mode and a Sekonic digital spot meter has a place in my Domke bag..

60+ years as a professional with 32 years as a studio owner has taught me that there is always something new to learn! A very good, well thought out video!

[Tsyras]

To me auto-ISO in manual mode is the best all around. I typically leave my aperture wide open (unless I need the extra sharpness or DOF) and usually just adjust shutter speed based on both light and subject. On DSLRs it was more of a pain, but with live view on mirrorless cameras there isn’t much of a chance to mess up exposure. In the outdoors with lots of sunlight I will usually just set my ISO to 100 and control exposure with shutter speed. So I am switching back and forth between full manual and manual with auto-ISO.

[ThaGamingMisfit]

My teacher of the basic photography class was a professional event photographer and he said he uses aperture priority 95% of the time. That broke the illusion of 'you need manual mode' instantly for me and that really helped my motivation to continu. I'm really thankful that I got that info as a beginner back then because I'm also a 95% aperture priority person now not being distracted by anything else than what I what I'm actually capturing.

[mossgatherer_]

There's a reason that aperture priority was the default for film SLRs for decades. It makes the most sense for 99% of uses other than stroking people's egos.

[abhijeetchoudhury]

I use to shoot in aperture priority mode most of the time with exposure compensation and happy with it.
Sometimes I use shutter speed priority for certain situations like panning again with exposure priority.
I use manual mode with manual focus for astro photography only.

[hyogaraj]

If you are shooting in bright light, I find the manual mode with auto iso is the best. Especially if you are shooting moving objects as in wildlife photography. You can choose the best shutter speed and aperture, .iso will be automatically adjusted.

[onlysublime]

I find the priority modes are still too variable from shot to shot. And this is bad when editing hundreds of photos for a wedding. Plus if i have to worry about exposure compensation i might as well go manual. I usually shoot at 1/160 or higher (unless I'm using flash which let's me shoot slower) but i need to be in control of depth of field because i might be shooting a group versus an individual and in control of iso. I could limit the iso range for any priority modes but i find it just faster to adjust for the situation in the moment because there are times im going to have to "break rules".

[lornespry]

This is an excellent primer for using digital cameras. I've been using analog film cameras for over 5 decades. I know what I'm doing. Digital types — not so much. I've read the manuals, and ... blah blah blah ... I just forget. This vid really makes things a comprehensive review. Well done! No BS or nonsense — just the facts!

[superu]

Been a wedding photographer for a few years now, started with manual and still use manual. Sometimes i want to do shutter drag and sometimes i just get a specific look that auto wouldn't allow me. It took some getting used to, but you quickly learn to adjust the settings. At this point, it would just feel weird to switch to auto, though i wouldn't knock someone who's just starting for using auto.

[LMActionsports]

I like full control of everything. I only shoot in manual mode. I don’t think just because manual mode you’re a pro. It gives you the opportunity to learn how to deal with every situation you come across. And for me I like full access of everything. That’s just me

[mycroft]

All anyone needs to take into account is the time factor. If you have time with no pressure then Manual is the way.
If you do not have time or you are out and about with your scene changing quickly then one of the semi modes would be the choice.
Studio work manual everytime.

[seanthompson]

Do this if you are an action photographer, like wildlife and sports Set your camera to Manuel mode set your speed to freeze the action Birds for example 2000/ of a second, open the aperture to max for background blur then set ISO to AUTO! for best results this is the magic for sports and wildlife! And you will never miss the action! the camera auto selects the ISO in accordance with what you need to freeze the action! this is AUTO mode without the AUTO Mode!

[irishplus]

The 35mm format in cameras allow more options. Some of us that came from film are still left and learned how manual and a meter worked. Flash in those days were manual as well. Great training. I feel too many entering into the field want it easy and not have to learn the basics of light both natural and flash.

[paulbonge]

This is humorous! Manual mode FIRST, second Aperture priority in certain cases when I know I have adequate light and I'm not as concerned with ISO or I'm on a tripod giving me further latitude. If you learned as I did, with a Weston II light meter, the Zone System, and on a tripod with sheet film & field cameras... ...then well I just don't need all the bells and whistles, do I? But of course, in wildlife or sports photography the other modes, can be very handy. But for any beginner or someone a bit more experienced, Manual forces you to learn what settings are workable or best for the particular type of photography you're doing. You'll fail until you figure it out. That's the only reason why I don't ever suggest letting these SMART cameras do the work for you. When you don't fail, you DO NOT learn but you become complacent, and you don't try because you're not forced to ask WHY are my images of my son's baseball game always blurry, why was my family portrait in the garden too dark, why, why, why? It's the why's that teach us. The ONLY thing these smart cameras have done is to cause far too many people to THINK they are great photographers. I know that I'm an "Old Fart" but any type of automatic function even (including the seeing eye dog, which revolutionized the way we took pictures) in some ways robbed photographers of my generation of one more learning curve. I can only thank my father, and his friend Minor White and our other friends who forced me to ONLY use a light meter and learn the "Old" way of doing things, before I was turned loose with an early SLR with a seeing eye dog, that is through the lens metering by the way! All this aside, with the advancements in digital, and I'm ALL digital ALL the way baby, I find myself in many ways ALL the way back to my beginning, having to learn NEW stuff in my quest to make images. RAW/JPEG/PSD/PSB/TIFF when to use them, when to unclick "Layers" and all the nuances of Photoshop! UGH but I've learned some stuff and I'm still learning because guess what it's ALL still about the light, BUT I have an advantage: I learned the Zone System so on occasion my editing time is reduced. And, in the end THANK YOU Photoshop because we all still under expose or overexpose or are just faced with a scene we can't photograph in the "Old" way and be ensured of a satisfactory result, and the magic of digital and photoshop is that we can get there, even with a poor exposure!

Guess what I'm still learning about layers and masks, radial and linear gradients, exposure layers! JESUS it is a long way from Saint Ansel and even with dodging and burning, he'd still end up meticulously doctoring some of his images with India ink, a magnifying glass and a hell of a lot of patience!